Monthly Archives: May 2016

A startup non-profit car-hailing company called RideAustin sees and creates an opportunity where big names saw only bureaucracy and obstacles. RideAustin is one of the services that will replace Uber and Lyft, which ceased their activity in Austin, Texas since May 9.

Is the gig economy good for entrepreneurship? Competing theories were the starting point for a trio of business and management school professors. Gordon Burch of the University of Minnesota, Seth Carnahan at Michigan, and Temple’s Brad Greenwood decided to test the question, using as markers the über-platform of the gig economy, Uber, the on-demand delivery service Postmates, and the boot-strapping behemoth Kickstarter. They analyzed how the arrival of Uber and Postmates in a new city affects the local proclivity to launch crowdfunded projects on Kickstarter.

You can now catch a BlueIndy car at the airport. The electric car sharing service has expanded its service to Indianapolis International Airport, with 20 parking spaces available at any time of day. The station “will provide a convenient transportation option throughout a person’s stay and an affordable choice to travel around Indianapolis,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett.

European travel startup NightSwapping is aiming to transform the current state of the sharing economy. The company’s radical new concept is really pretty simple. Members can host travelers in their guestroom or home and earn credits that they can then use to stay at another member’s place for free in the future.

General Motors Co.’s new car-sharing service Maven is expanding, adding vehicles and users in Ann Arbor and Chicago, as the Detroit automaker continues to develop a business catered to people who may not own a car.

When the BlueIndy electric-car-sharing service launched in Indianapolis last year, a firestorm of controversy quickly ensued. Some businesses and residents vehemently objected to what they perceived as a lack of transparency by the city in appropriating prime parking places for the battery-powered cars. Eight months later, those passions have cooled. Some formerly vocal opponents of BlueIndy seem to be changing their opinions, according to an Indianapolis Star story this month.

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More about the Sharing Economy

Shared-Use Mobility Center
A public-interest organization working to foster collaboration in shared mobility and help connect the growing industry with transit agencies, cities, and communities across the nation